(announcer) next time on hell's kitchen. this is fox 5 news at 10:00. fox 5 all over two developing stories. a charter bus takes a deadly plunge off a highway ramp falling more than 40 feet. parents and children rush to the hospital. this evening the commute backed

up for miles. we have live team coverage. plus fueled by the tropics, a band of torrential rain getting ready to sit over our region and reason concerns tonight that flooding will come along with it. good evening, everyone. i'm brian bolter. >> and i'm shawn yancy. that deluge now just hours away and the stage is set to make your morning commute a real mess. fox 5's sue palka is tracking all the trouble tonight. >> it's going to be a long day tomorrow. it hasn't really gotten going in a big way around here, though. i'll take you straight to radar. you can see down to our south, still not seeing very much. down to the south starting to see the leading edge of some of the first waves of rain coming closer to places like fredericksburg and st. mary's. actually they had a band earlier today that produced 1/2, but there is so much more to go and you're right, this does have a tropical connection. over to true view and earlier today can i tell you we did have briefly -- can i tell you we did have briefly tropical

storm nicole form. it's already dissipated but the moisture is there. a new area of low pressure will form and the bottom line is all that rain will work its way in our direction. just to give you some idea, in the last three days wilmington, north carolina, has had overeat teen inches of rain. i don't think we'll get anything -- over 18 inches of rain. don't think we'll get anything like that, but we'll get enough to have a flash flood watch going into effect at midnight through the day tomorrow. you can see that over on the max system. the flash flood watch is for rain that may come down hard enough to bring streams and creeks out of their banks and with leaves coming down some of these storm drains could also get clogged. do expect to run into some kind of flooding issues around the region. we are definitely tapping the tropic, give you a quick idea what we're expecting going through the day. the heavy rain will be during the overnight hours and off and on during the day tomorrow. our biggest he concern will be flooding. we'll have stronger winds, but this won't be a major windmaker. that will be mostly 95 and east

and it's even possible that a couple of thunderstorms could crop up with damaging winds as well. so, shawn, lots to keep track of. i'll have a much more specific idea of when to expect that rain and how much we're expecting and where when i join you with the full forecast. >> you can track the forecast and the rain yourself. log onto www.myfoxdc.com and look for the radar on the right- hand side of your screen. it turning now to a -- turning now to a developing story since late this afternoon, a deadly bus crash in montgomery county. the bus veered off the sky ramp to 45 feet below on the i-270 northbound spur near democracy boulevard in bethesda. fox 5's will thomas filed this report moments. >> reporter: some of the first responders on the scene tell me they heard survivors talking about seeing the driver actually pass out just before the bus trove right off the top of this hov sky ramp on the northbound section of i-270.

the driver identified as 66- year-old joseph clabaugh jr. of hanover, pennsylvania. all 11 passengers were transported to the hospital and one person in a car on the ground below involved in a collision, a total of 12 people taken to the hospital by ambulance. we'll give you an update on the seriousness of their injuries in our next report from the hospital, but first let's take you up close to the scene. some of the first footage from the scene shows children being comforted by passers-by, hurt, scared and confused about how this could have happened and what happened. vito majolo is the photographer behind the camera and routinely documents responses of local fire departments. >> there were a number of children in the triage area evaluating their injuries. >> reporter: the limousine style mini tour bus picked up a combination of students and adults from the carlisle, pennsylvania area. a total of 12 people were on board including the driver. about 4:00 just before the

start of the afternoon commute the bus entered an elevated carpool sky ramp along the northbound section of interstate 270 in bethesda, maryland. it then careened off the highest point plunging 45 feet below. >> we stopped and start helping. there was already people, five or eight people running, helped them. >> reporter: jorge guerrera was driving right behind the bus and watched it all unfold. >> i hang myself out the window and the people hand the child to me that was on the ground. >> reporter: a maryland state police helicopter circled the accident to give investigators another vantage point. >> they had one of their troopers taking photographs now of the accident scene. >> reporter: the crash and massive response shut down this section of highway sending drivers on detours around the scene. >> it's been two hours. >> reporter: a montgomery county fire and rescue conducted two physical searches

of the area around the bus. then montgomery county police brought in some of their own canine dogs to do another search, a third search, just to make sure no one else was ejected from that bus. it did land in a vegetative area. it's hard to really see that area around the bus. so they wanted to make sure. the bus has been towed to a montgomery county police lot for further inspection and the ntsb is involved in the investigation as well. in bethesda, maryland, i'm will thomas. now back to you. at this hour we have sky fox now live over the scene. you are looking at the roadway below and then if it pulls out a bit, you'll see the sky ramp that we're talking about here. the i-to 73over at democracy boulevard still closed at this hour. however, the rest of the roads are open. there are crews still there on the scene taking advantage of the time they have to get more case. our team coverage continues now. fox 5's bob barnard live at suburban hospital in bethesda where most of the injured are

being treated. bob. >> reporter: well, brian, eight bus crash victims were treated here tonight at suburban hospital. all but two have just been released. suburban hospital officials say two of the crash victims brought here are elderly suffering severe injuries said to be in fair condition. they spent the day visiting the smithsonian. two other adults and four children are also being treated here considered to be in good condition having spent the day at the national zoo. >> actually six of them came in walking to the hospital. two of them came in on stretchers, but six of them were in surprisingly good condition on arrival to the emergency room. >> reporter: emergency physician barton leonard has been treating some of the injured. >> the children all have families with them and are all in good condition. >> reporter: hospital officials say three of the children are siblings age 9, 11 and 12 who took the day off from school and were traveling with a chaperone. the fourth child is a 6-year- old girl who was with her

mother on the bus. that woman also hurt and hospitalized. now joined at the hospital by her husband who drove down to bethesda from their home in carlisle, pennsylvania. the fact the bus tumbled perhaps 40 feet from a highway ramp and all but one survived seems to have amazed the e.r. staff at suburban. >> the fall seems pretty significant. the mechanism, the physics behind it, i'm surprised that there weren't more severe injuries. >> reporter: now three of the bus crash victims are being treated at shady grove hospital. a fourth is over at holy cross hospital in silver spring. their conditions are unknown tonight. joining me now live is nick ferachi of silver spring. those three kids that were on the bus, the siblings, are his grandchildren and they just left moments ago. how are they doing tonight, sir? >> they're doing good. considering what they went through, they're doing very good. >> reporter: we saw them walk out. it looked like your granddaughter had a blanket

around her, but the boys seemed to be okay. >> she's good. she has some blood on her t- shirt and didn't want to wear it, so they wore the hospital gown. >> reporter: did they tell you, their grandfather, what their ordeal was like today, what they experienced? >> they said they had a good time at the zoo, too bad that, you know, had to end up like this. >> reporter: did you see it on the news? have you seen the pictures of the bus and seeing your grandchildren here? >> i didn't see yet because when it first happened, they called me and we just ran right here, you know, at the hospital. it's my birth day. >> reporter: it's your birthday. well, happy birthday they're okay. >> it's my birthday and a very happy birthday because they're doing fine. they're great. they're on their way home. thank god. >> reporter: thank you. happy birthday to you. >> thank you. >> reporter: thank you for the good news of his three

grandchildren, three of the four kids on that bus, are fine tonight. we've asked mr. ferachi and others here as the children were leaving and that's who we saw leaving tonight, four children, what the kids have said about what happened on the bus, brian before, it crashed and they say they didn't get into that with the kids yet tonight. >> we thank him for sharing with us their story. we're glad his family is safe and sound. bob barnard tonight. the other big story we're following tonight, a deadly fire in a d.c. high rise may have been arson. tonight fire investigators are talking to persons of interest. three people were seriously hurt in that fire including a 2- year-old child. fox 5's karen gray houston is following the story. >> woke up and said what's going on? fire going on. there's a fire going on. get out. >> reporter: it was pandemonium, 3:45 in the morning residents woke up to billowing smoke and fire. a 911 call went out. firefighters arrived to find people desperately trying to

get out. one man who jumped from a fifth floor window died. his nephew says he woke up his 38-year-old uncle, patrick perez and through a translator he tells us he climbed out the window first using a telephone cord. >> and then i started thinking what to do and that's when i grabbed the telephone cable, tied it up to the refrigerator and then threw it out the window. >> reporter: he made it to a tree below and jumped. his uncle jumped but unfortunately landed on the iron gate and died. >> he rescued numerous people out the window and down ladders, some from the fifth floor and above. >> reporter: the fifth floor hallway is where investigators think the fire started. this young man from maryland was sleeping over with friends on the first floor. >> i first seen a little girl like burnt from head to toes. we see a lady burnt. >> reporter: so they sprang into action racing up stairs with the fire extinguisher which turned their hands blue.

>> we were no,ing on people's doors like wake -- knocking on people's doors like there's a fire going on. wake up. >> reporter: it was smoky, dark. they could hardly breathe. 130 residents who live in the 63 apartments were displaced. a shelter was set up at the nearby columbia heights community center. karen gray houston, fox 5 news. gunfire erupts outside a funeral leaving one of the mourners dead. tonight police are making a slew of arrests. find out how cops are connecting four members of the same family to the crime. and you think traffic is dead now? it could soon be a whole lot worse in one area. a local senator got a look at the troubles firsthand today. and we couldn't let this one pass us by. sue palka celebrating 25 years here at fox 5. a lot of surprises planned tonight. you're not going to want to miss it. stick around. 

appear arrest in the brazen daylight murder at a -- an arrest in the brazen daylight murder at a d.c. funeral, the family affair next. ssll

not even 24 hours after that deadly shooting outside a funeral d.c. police have made several arrests including one of the suspected gunmen. the gunfire killed jamal cotes as he left a friend's funeral

along busy u street in northwest. fox 5's roby chavez live with how police zeroed in on these suspects. >> reporter: police made a quick arrest but are still looking for another gunman and information about another car including a 2001 white buick. prosecutors say brandon miller, the man arrested, admitted to police he was at scene and even gave two people a ride to the u street area. witnesses helped police crack this case. 21-year-old jamal cotes died while attending a funeral and now his family prepares his own funeral. community members remember a man who struggled to stay clean. >> a really complicated kid. of all the kids i worked with in d.c. he may have been the biggest moments of joy and light and maybe my largest moments of frustration. >> reporter: less than 24 hours after the shooting d.c. police arrested 21-year-old brandon miller. he lived at this home on gerard street northwest. police also found five guns

here including automatic weapons and a 9-millimeter gun. it's the same type of weapon that killed cotes. documents indicate he was shot three times including once in the head. investigators now believe there was an exchange of gunfire on u street. a gun was found in the overturned suv. the driver seen here was also shot but survived. what happened here on u street yesterday was without any question one of the most brazen shootings that's ever happened in d.c. brandon miller shook his head several times in court seeming to deny the murder charge. however, prosecutors say they have four witnesses that saw it all. they also have surveillance video that places the car speeding away from the scene and a witness who got the alleged get-away car's tag number which led police to miller and his northwest home. they also recovered the car. chief cathy lanier is asking more witnesses to come forward to help make the case.

>> i will say it was a car that we are asking information about, that car was used to leave the scene and we know that or believe that the shooter and possibly a second person was in that car and that's why we not people who saw that car or may have seen the car to call us. >> reporter: court documents reveal more of what happened as gunfire rang out at the funeral of ashley mccray. prosecutors say cotes had just left that funeral and was sitting in this suv at the corner of 13th and u street when gunmen wearing masks shot into the suv with semiautomatic pistols. today the chief says at least one more suspect is still on the loose. >> we have done a lot of great work in the last 12 hours. we've got a lot more to do. so we're still looking for any information that we can get as we move forward. we do still believe that there is at least one other person that we're looking for. >> reporter: now in court today defense lawyers say none of the witnesses or those police statements identify the suspect arrested as the man in the car. no matter, though, because

miller admitted to police he was in his car at the scene and sped away with two people inside. now one other note. as we showed you first last night on fox 5 news police also arrested miller's father, mother and sister after a search of their home on girard street turned up five guns including an assault rifle. >> thank you. the handgun a maryland toddler used to accidentally shoot himself in the chest was reported stolen from a federal law enforcement officer's car three weeks ago. 2-year-old mature row longu s found -- mario longu s found a pistol in their apartment. police have charged his brother and his brother's girl friend with stealing the gun. the toddler is in serious condition. a fairfax county man accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl is now in jail. the man was a teachers aide at a daycare in centreville. fox 5's matt ackland has more on the arrest. >> reporter: this mugshot was sent to us from officials in

jefferson county, new york. 22-year-old siyamand salehzadeh is sitting this in jail for an alleged crime that happened here at this mini land daycare in centreville. police say he sexually assaulted a 4-year-old girl. >> we obtained warrants on friday, september 24th. >> reporter: but the daycare worker was nowhere to be found. authorities put out a nationwide alert. they say he was trying to cross into canada from new york state. >> he was crossing over. he was detained by u.s. border patrol and turned over to state police. >> reporter: officials at miniland private day school sent us this statement saying it has met with all parents and staff and continue to offer support during this difficult time. but police say they don't believe any other children are involved. still they are advising parents to speak with their kids. >> kids don't understand, but they know when they don't like something. they know when something doesn't feel right. so we encourage open

communication with your child. >> reporter: we're told salades da -- told salades da did have to pass a background check before working on the the daycare. we went to his house but no one opened the door. although fairfax county police say they don't believe there there were any other young victims here. we are sold that there are two other investigations underway, one by child protective officers and also an internal investigation here at miniland. in centreville matt ackland, fox 5 news. security on alert across the globe after police uncover an alleged terror plot. we have details on the plan. one suspect is spilling it to investigators still ahead. and fox 5 is taking you on an idol road trip, local contestants getting their shot in front of a new judging panel. we'll take you to jersey coming up. l

right here in this neighborhood, i grew up learning strong families and hard work means opportunity. and that starts with good schools. it's a tradition here in maryland-- and why in these tough times i've put education first. we've made record investments in our classrooms... doubled the number of charter schools... and we've frozen college tuition for four years in a row. and it's working. experts say we now have the number one schools in the nation. when it comes to expanding opportunity in every neighborhood, i know that we must do even better.

a recent barrage of drone strikes in afghanistan apparently helped stop a terror plot that reportedly called for multiple your peep cities. we have the report -- european cities. we have the report that the massacres were modeled after something that happened two years ago. >> reporter: mumbai india, 2008, hotels, a train station all hit with commando style attacks by militants leaving 166 dead. fox news confirms u.s. authorities have exposed a similar style of simultaneous attacks planned by al qaeda targeting sites in the uk, france, germany, possibly denmark frequented by foreigners including americans. >> whatever maximizes visibility, whatever instills the greatest fear and the greatest number of people. >> reporter: the recent wave of drone attacks unleashed on the terrorist rich border area with pakistan is said to be an attempt by the u.s. to disrupt the plot. president obama is reported to be monitoring the situation and

america is on top of it according to the secretary of homeland security. >> we know that al qaeda and their affiliates are out there. they are determined to attack targets in the west, be they so- called hard targets or soft targets. >> reporter: the principal figure in the plot is a german of afghan descent who worshiped at the same mosque in hamburg as 9/11 plotters. he was picked up in july after training in afghanistan with al qaeda. sources in germany tell fox news his sources were vague and motives unclear but with an al qaeda senior operative said to be moving yet more terror suspects towards europe, the u.s. apparently thought it best to move early. >> what we have been told is that the attack was not in the execution phase. it was still somewhere back in the planning phase. >> reporter: paris has been on high alert the past few weeks while authorities there say it was not a response to this particular plot. others in the uk and germany say they're aware and ready.

hard to imagine, but the commute in northern virginia could soon get worse. the eye popping results of a traffic test completed before thousands of extra commuters cram into one very shawl space. the judges table may look a lot different, but the local contestants are still as nervous as ever. we'll take you to the first round of idol auditions up in jersey next. ananiges

ananiges words alone aren't enough. my job is to listen to the needs and frustrations of the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel or restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. our job is to listen and find ways to help. that means working with communities. restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund

to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. and our efforts aren't coming at tax-payer expense. i know people are wondering-- now that the well is capped, is bp gonna meet its commitments? i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. four years ago, bob ehrlich got fired as governor of maryland. for good reason. first, he protected tax loopholes for giant cable cable companies. then, he let utilities jack up our rates 72%. and for the last four years, he worked as a hired gun for big corporations, even a bank that took billions from a taxpayer funded bailout. ehrlich sides with corporate executives again and again and again tell bob ehrlich big banks and billionares don't need help. middle class marylanders do.

everybody who lives around here knows we have the second worst traffic in the nation. now new worries, the new defense building is going up along i-395 in alexandria, virginia. virginia senator jim moran took a test ride to see the traffic situation for himself today. fox 5's john henrehan with the reason for the concern. >> reporter: if you ask a motorist to describe current rush hour traffic on interstate 395 in virginia, here's what you get. >> maybe 15, 20 miles per hour.

>> bad situation. if you don't have anything in the car to spend your time, i mean how long you can listen to music or how long you can listen to radio? >> reporter: well, traffic on 395 is probably going to get appreciably worse one year from now when the defense department opens adjoining office towers along the highway in the west end of alexandria. 6,400d.o.d. workers will be shifted here primarily from the office buildings in crystal city which in a post 9/11 world are deemed insufficiently hardened in the event an attempted terrorist attack. the new buildings are being constructed to modern security standards, bunt like crystal city which has a -- but unlike crystal city which has a metro stop, west alexandria will rely on shuttle buses to a large degree. congressman jim moran decided to test the shuttle bus service from the franconia springfield metro station. because there's no hov exit at seminary road, the shuttle bus had to use the regular slow

lanes of traffic on i-395, a trip of 7 1/2 miles. >> this took 50 miles. >> reporter: 50, 5-0? >> 50 minutes. it will be raining tomorrow so, it will probably take over an hour. >> reporter: shuttle buses from the opposite direction the pentagon metro stop will probably run more weekly like the cars on the left because they're run -- quickly like the cars on the left because they're running counter to the rush hour flow. the senator wants d.o.d. to pay for it and the new federal employment center is scheduled to open one year from now. john henrehan, fox 5 news. >> i gave mr. moran a pay raise and a hike in elevation in status. he is not a senator. congressman moran. trying to talk his fellow legislators into limiting parking at the new facility for defense workers until traffic improvements are in place, my apologies.

some feel stephen colbert's rallies are getting a big boost from a political pundit. aryan a huffington is offering free rides for anyone who wants to go to their rallies. last night huffington announced she's giving free bus rides to anyone who shows up at their offices. american idol hit the road again this time stopping in new jersey for auditions and some locals snagged an audience with the new judges. we sent fox 5's sherri ly to jersey city to catch up with one of them. >> reporter: rained jackson is sitting in simon -- randy jackson is sitting in simon cowell's old seat, but he said no one will ever say you've become the new cowell, cowell, you're a dog. this season is an american idol remix, but the drill is the same for the contestants. kelly powers came a long way from wood ridge virginia but never thought american idol was for her. >> i never wanted to do the show. >> reporter: her friends and family convinced her to give it a try.

now she's in jersey city hoping american idol will help make her singing dreams come true. >> this is it for me. this is really what i'm meant to do. i know that in every bone in my body. >> reporter: her mother remembers hearing kelly sing in the back seat of the car at the age of 2 and knew she had something special. >> it's very exciting. i'm really, really proud of her. i know that she can do this. she's come a long way. >> reporter: life hasn't been easy. her father died young and she's taken care of an older sister with mental illness. two years ago she was accepted to berkeley school of music but couldn't afford it. >> mine like most of the obstacles -- i mean like most of the obstacles she's been through in her life, most of us won't even go through half of the stuff she's been through. >> reporter: with this year's new judges more people like kelly may have a shot. >> we work with them a little bit more i think than maybe you've seen in the past. we give them more of a chance. >> reporter: that doesn't mean the idol judges are easy.

>> i think they all know what they're getting into and i try to judge them fairly and those that don't know what they're here for. >> reporter: for kelly this is her chance, a chance to go to hollywood. >> this is my dream. this is all i've ever wanted to do. there's been a lot of setbacks in my life. >> reporter: we can't reveal which contestants made it to hollywood. you'll have to wait and watch in january. up next for american idol, milwaukee this weekend. in jersey city sherri ly, fox 5 news. the storm force all over that big storm being fueled by the tropic, the trouble rolling in as we speak. sue is pouring over the latest data and has more ahead. ssll

 this fox 5 stock market report is brought to you by your lexus dealer. live life heroically. n

a health alert for parents of infants. those positioners meant to keep babies lying on their backs could do more harm than good. the fda says 12 babies have died over the last 13 years because they rolled oh anyway. they either got -- over anyway. they either got trapped between the positioner and the crib or got suffered in between the positioner itself. the american academy of pediatrics say there's evidence the positioners do any good. if recess was your favorite period of the school day, imagine getting a little recess at work. sounds fun. take a look. medical experts say it is a good idea. employers would take a 10 minute break to go through a series of dances and routines and sportlike moves. the concept has been part of japanese business culture for years. offices with these programs in place say they're workers are more energetic and more focused. more than 800 burglaries in two months. plus staying on top of it a

developing story, a bus plummets 45 feet off a sky ramp along interstate 270, the latest details from the crash scene.

deep tropical moisture is set to pour into our area. when will it be out of here?

talking a 24 hour, 48 hour rain event? >> 24. i think it will be mostly over by this time tomorrow night, but the eastern shore may still be getting rain. it's an interesting setup and rather complicated, definitely going to be heavy rain. in some spots there could be a lot more rain than in others. i'll try to get it sorted out here in the next three minutes. i want to let you know it is steadily moving from south north. we've been watching some of these huge rain totals down over the eastern carolinas where they're now under a tornado watch and yes, this is all tropical moisture that we are seeing. it's beginning to fill in, but

you can see north of d.c. they haven't seen much of anything yet. let's look at our max hd satellite and radar. look at the fetch of moisture coming up, all this heavy stuff we've been watching down through the wilmington area moving up closer to raleigh, all of this was once the remnants of tropical storm nicole as well as our tropical storm matthew that we saw going into central america and just an entire sort of a conveyor belt of moisture coming out of the caribbean. that's what we've been watching tonight and that's what's slated to come in our direction. now a tornado watch has been issued for much of coastal south carolina and north carolina right up into southeastern virginia and tornadoes are a real threat when we have tropical systems going by. some of the thunderstorms tomorrow in our area could rotate, although they do tend to be weaker storms. we've got this east coast tropical highway with all of the abundant tropical moisture moving to the north and it's just got this one spot it has to funnel through right up the east coast and that's why we know we'll have this period of

very heavy rain coming in and it will be here for the morning rush hour. flash flood watch will begin at midnight and go through the day tomorrow and yes, we are talking about inches of rain and concerned about any thunderstorms that could pop up. there is a slight chance they could be strong to severe with winds that could gust to 60 or higher and maybe spin a little bit producing isolated tornadoes. that threat will primarily be from 95 on east and probably tomorrow afternoon. so here's probably one of the most important things we can show you, what a great tool our max hd futurecast is. at 10:00 tonight it is seeing correctly the heavier rain starting to come up from the south. we have pause this at 8:00 in the morning when so many of you may be driving and you can see that heavy rain. it's mostly to our west along sort of between interstate 81 and 95 in the morning. at the noon hour we're seeing more of an intense band maybe with some thunderstorms in it and at 6:00 look at the band right there. i think they'll see really heavy rain inside this band while maybe some other areas

aren't getting quite as much. the band is still there on the eastern shore at 11:00 and friday morning at 8 a.m. it's off the coast, but it's been holding together for a long time. within that band we could have some really huge totals. we could also see a couple showers trying to swing through western pennsylvania, maybe affect our mountains on saturday as well. how much rain are we talking about, though? in general i think we're talking 3 to 6 inches, a lot more for the carolinas. over 18 inches already for wilmington, epic flooding down there. mostly 3 to 6 inches, lesser amounts maybe to our west, 2 to 4 inches, but within that band i was mentioning there could be some much bigger amounts if we get what is called training thunderstorms. that will produce some big rain totals. i'm talking over 6 inches. we'll be watching that feature very closely tomorrow in the weather center. meanwhile here's your five-day forecast. we get it mostly done with tomorrow. so that's the good news, 77 degrees. friday maybe a morning shower at 75 and then nice looking for

the weekend. we might have to insert an early morning shower perhaps on saturday or something in the afternoon, but the rest of the weekend looking so good, isn't it, guys? 66 devil that's going to help those skins out -- 66 degrees? that's going to help those skins out. philly won't know what to do with all the rain they're getting. it's an awful lot of rain for a lot of places and we'll have it tomorrow morning. >> we not to tell you tonight we not to congratulate -- we want to tell you tonight we want to congratulate our colleague and friend sue palka. it was on a night almost close to this date a quarter century ago sue debuted on the air joining the fox 5 news team with hurricane gloria. >> sue is without a doubt the best forecaster in town. we are so fortunate to work with her. >> oh, my good,ness. >> so tonight we celebrate her incredible 25 years of service with a look back at her time here. laura evans now with a trip down memory lane layne. >> guess what, they don't have

me over -- lane. >> guess, what they don't have me over there with the cameras. so i'm going to tell you when people stop me on the street -- >> can we all imagine that? >> when people stop me on the street, one of the first things out of their mouths is i love sue palka and i always tell them what you see is what you get and it's true. you are genuine, warm. you're excellent at what you do. >> oh, thank you. >> you love 2 to do it. it's so fun to watch you do it because you're so good at it. tonight we want to take a trip down memory lane back to the beginning. >> it's a long trip. >> to the beginning of an era. take a look. >> an era. ♪you're still the one >> it has been absolutely gorgeous today. >> reporter: and that is where it all began. when sue palka joined fox 5, she brought with her not only a sunny disposition, but a great enthusiasm for weather forecasting. >> it's worth peeking at these weather maps tonight because we do have another little spring

sampler coming for you. >> reporter: and sue has seen it all. >> by the time it starts raining this hard, most people inside have gotten shelter from the storm. >> reporter: but this woman not only loves the weather, she loves to experience the elements firsthand like in july of '96 when hurricane bertha made landfall in wilmington north carolina. she watched the eye of the storm pass overhead as she reported live morning, noon and night for several days. >> pat, would you like to change places with me? >> no. sue, you're doing just fine down there. >> i wouldn't let you because this is a thrill. i hate to say it, but it's really great to be here. >> reporter: or the time she went tornado chasing in texas and oklahoma with scientists who were learning more about tornado development. >> this is what's called the rear plank down draft, very powerful part of the storm and one that these scientists are trying to learn a lot more about. >> reporter: it's her personable style that keeps us watching. sue is one of us. she's fun to be around, frequently, easy to like and being -- friendly, easy to like and being part of the community

and including the community in her reporting has been her signature. >> i was wondering if there's any place i can get a weather report here. >> i love a party and halloween is great. >> oh, thank you for being so sweet. actually that made me forget my fear of heights for a second. it's me from 1978. i'm retro sue this year. >> reporter: that was halloween 2008 wearing a dress she wore 21 years earlier. sue has been with us in good weather and in bad. >> check out the snow totals. >> reporter: in good hairstyles and not so good, but she has spent the past 25 years serving our community teaching us about our weather, keeping us interested, informed and entertained. >> no rain for blue suede shoes in this five-day forecast. >> reporter: and so on your 25th anniversary, sue palka, your colleagues, past and present, congratulate you. >> she gave both of us our start really. she taught me weather. she really did. >> did she? >> yeah. >> we spent a lot of time together at channel 5. we

experienced the good times. we celebrated your emmy awards. we experienced the bad times, your daughter liz throwing up in my corvette. >> sue, all the best to you after 25 years of great enjoyment at channel 5. wish i could be with you. >> hey, sue, congratulations, 25 years, wow. you're lucky you actually came to d.c. when you were 15 so, that only makes you 40. congratulations. you look great and you are a gem in this industry! >> hi, sue, as the oldest guy in town, we not to congratulate you on 30 years here. >> no, no, 25. you've been 30. i've been 25 and now sue say junior member at 25 years. -- is a junior member at 25 years. >> only 25. and what fun we've all had. >> congratulations, sue, we have love you. >> 25 more years. >> happy anniversary, happy anniversary! >> that's amazing. >> they are crazy. >> i just hope my husband was

dvring the show tonight so i can play to ever and over. >> you guys didn't hear this, but the first blouse sue had on, she said i still have this blouse. >> i literally just washed it yesterday. >> sell it on ebay tomorrow. >> i do have the plaid dress because my little secret was when i applied at fox 5 i was expecting my daughter liz and didn't not them to know i was pregnant. so i bought rather boxy outfits to hide my secret until they hired me and then i sprang the surprise on them. >> i'm going to be off for about six months. >> i said three weeks max. that's all i took. >> wow. all right. well, because this is such a momentous occasion, sue, your member of congress chris van holland officially recognized your 25th anniversary in the congressional record of the united states. >> the official statement said sue palka is one of my constituents. she is celebrating 25 years of outstanding service to the washington d.c. metropolitan region. you know her for her

irrepressible enthusiasm and good humor. >> i am proud that sure, a resident of gaithersburg, is a constituent of mine. i am delighted to congratulate sue palka, her husband joe and daughters for her 25 years of dedicated service to our community and to all visitors to the nation's capitol. >> we're not done yet. >> i'm like a deer in the headlight. >> i like to fly under the radar. >> i've followed sue for 10 years and it's obviously great to follow her. it does have its down sides. so on behalf of bernie, buck and myself, brian, you could hand her this, i'd like to give sue a watch. >> is that the watch off your wrist, feldy? it's off his wrist. >> time is not her strength and there's been many a sportscasters that in my year has gone 2:15 to 1:50, 1:15. >> i get so enthusiastic about the weather map i can't let go of anyone. >> one of the many things

viewers who have watched you for a long time have enjoyed is watching your family grow and many remember the story we aired back on february 15th, 1986, the day your first baby girl liz who buck talked about in the car was born. you can see happy joe palka holding liz for the first time. bruno will play the young bill palka in the movie and here you are in the hospital bed looking absolutely beautiful. that baby girl is now 24 years old and a reporter at wfmy in greensboro, north carolina, and sue is very proud and today liz sends a special message to her mother. >> hi, mom. i'm here at wfmy in greensboro, my new station. i wish i could be there in d.c. to celebrate your 25 year anniversary at fox 5. we are so proud of you. a lot of people ask me why i decided to get into news and i have a lot of different answers to that question, but the truth is if a picture speaks a thousand words, this is why i got into news. it's a picture of you holding

me when i was about a year and a half. you were out on a live shot. this is why i got into this business. it's something that i treasure and this picture is something i look at every single day. so congratulations again. enjoy this night with your co- workers and friends and remember, there's a lot of people that are very proud of you and grateful for you including your family. >> oh, sweetie, good job. >> speaking of your family, we are all very proud of you. coming in the door right now. >> oh, my goodness. what are you doing? i can't believe you're here. >> hi, we're here. >> for those of you who don't know, this is sue's other daughter nora and her husband joe. >> oh, she wasn't answering my text messages. >> we heard they were serving cake. we wanted to come. how's my hair look? >> hold on a second. you guys know my dad, right? >> i was just walking around

the parking lot. they said come this way. this is my sweet husband doug. you guys shouldn't have done. this we'll blow out the top of the 11:00. i can still do the weather from here. this is beautiful and i'm absolutely overwhelmed that first of all, you're still up. our general manager duffy dwyer is here and our news director. marcy, you're here. >> i didn't fully absorb who is all here, but so many of us have been together for years. duffy was here when i started in 1985 as program director. bill was here in the early '90s and i think part of his strength of wttg is a lot of us don't know when they've and we hang around and by no means, is this my retirement party. i want to make sure everybody knows that. i hope i can do this for many, many more years. it's you, the viewers, who have kept me in this place and in this chair and in a town that is now my hometown. i absolutely love living in washington. i love my colleagues. thank you, wttg. this is more than i expected.

i'm shocked you did all. this i thought my anniversary was seven days ago. >> thought we forgot about you. >> that's how i like to roll. this is very overwhelming. i'm grateful and just can't believe 25 years has gone by like this. when i started i literally drew maps with magic markers, not here at fox 5, and now the amazing graphics, the weather team, gary mcgrady, you're a true gift. thank you all so much. i love my weather colleagues. i've never had -- >> sue, let me tell you as the person in the weather department who has worked with you with gary and tony and tucker and everyone else that's been here before, you are more than a colleague. you are a great friend to all of us and we thank you for not only being the way you are, but what you teach us every single day. >> wow. how to be late and look at me taking the microphone. this is my first day on the air. >> over the past 25 years is there any moment that just sticks out you remember that you not to share with us?

>> i would say i've always enjoyed the big snow events when we get to spend a lot of time together not just on the air. this past winter was amazing, the blizzard of '96 was amazing. november 11th, 1987, i love those big events as we call them sometimes where duffy has to foot the bill for all this when we have our big hotel snows because everyone here has such great personalities and has a lot of fun in their life and it's always fun to get to spend extra time together. >> on behalf of everybody here, sue, i think the one person people always come up to us and ask when we're out on the street is say hi to sue palka. it's an honor and privilege to work with. >> and is she really as nice as she comes across on tv. >> and i say no. >> except for some very minor road rage. >> tremendously overwhelming. i think more than anything i'm so glad i got to raise my kids in this community. this is my daughter nora. she's 20. you guys probably saw her on the air. she goes to college here in d.c. and i think we're so

thrilled this worked out for us. give me some knuckles. [ cheering and applause ] >> thank you all very much. >> i think we've milked this enough. >> go to our website and wish sue all the best and another 25 years on www.myfoxdc.com. we'll be right back. >> get another cake. >> i'll be out with my rocker. thank you all. >> we'll be right back.